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Nowadays the only thing I'm occasionally doing at 3 a.m. is taking a leak.

Our long long long wait is over

https://akronzippedup.substack.com/p/zips-mens-basketball-ready-for-a?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web Zipped Up has a season preview if that helps.

Coach Ford said post-game that Chabi has been working hard on his shot and as long as he works hard on the boards, defensively, and in the paint, he's ok with Chabi taking 1-2 3s a game. Burton is quite different because he was a pretty good 3P shooter in high school.

I get that there's some strategy to not sharing injury information, but I hate that such information is guarded like national security secrets.

Obviously doesn't mean he's playing tomorrow, but Burton appears to have taken part in shoot-around.

EvanMiya has Akron as the 90th best roster going into the season, 30 spots better than the next MAC team (Miami OH at 120). They also have a Cinderella slipper next to our name as a team to watch for March Madness. Evan Mahaffey is rated as the 93rd best player in CBB, 1st in the MAC. Oriol and Staveskie are also top 16 players in the MAC. Will be interesting to see how accurate these predictions turn out to be.

The college basketball season officially got underway today, with Villanova and Notre Dame tipping things off in Rome. The majority of teams will get their seasons started tomorrow. Below are the Sun Belt matchups for Round 1, along with the current point spreads. The MAC is favored in 5 of the 12 matchups, but the lines are relatively tight across the board. Should make for some competitive and entertaining basketball! Georgia State -4.5 vs. BG Troy -3.5 vs. UMASS Arkansas State -3.5 vs. Toledo South Alabama -1.5 vs. Ohio James Madison -1.5 vs. Miami (OH) Coastal Carolina -1.5 vs. EMU Marshall -1.5 vs. Buffalo Old Dominion +1.5 vs. WMU Georgia Southern +2.5 vs. Ball St. ULM +3.5 vs. CMU Louisiana +5.5 vs. Akron Louisiana Tech +5.5 vs. Kent

I just hope they don't get caught looking ahead to Muskinghum.

Akron jumps into top 5 !!! they were number 9 last week https://collegesoccernews.com/college-soccer-news-mens-soccer-week-11-top-25-poll-akron-jumps-into-the-top-5/

Zipped up is the goat. Just finished the read up and it's great. Really hope his predictions for the MAC come true. I'd love for us to be able to pull of another multi bid in the next 5 years.

I think it's a combination. There's no one from the press "digging" and programs are generally reluctant to disclose. Burton was quite mobile in high school and had a very nice shot. I'm hoping he gets healthy and can stay on the floor.

Prather Jr. at 74.

QB: Ohio has utilized several quarterbacks throughout the 2026 season due to injuries, and unfortunately for the Zips, they are now healthy at the position and will be rolling out their original starter, Nick Poulos. Poulos has thrown for 781 yards, completed 59% of his passes, and recorded 6 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. He is excellent when kept clean, but can struggle under pressure, completing only 27% of his passes in those situations. However, he is rarely under pressure, as Poulos has the mobility to escape the pocket when needed and also plays behind one of the better offensive lines in the MAC. RB: The Bobcats primarily rotate two running backs in UConn transfer Victor Rosa and German native Duncan Brune. The duo has combined for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns. Although neither back has the breakaway top-end gear, they are both excellent at grinding opponents down. The most explosive back is redshirt freshman Irving Brown, but he did not play in the last game. Brown has rushed for 219 yards on just 23 carries. WR: Redshirt sophomores Riley Neer, Dom Dorwart, and Kentucky transfer Preston Bowman have been almost the exclusive options at wide receiver in 2026. The trio has combined for 1046 yards and 11 touchdowns. TE: Ohio will rotate several different tight ends in its offense. Redshirt sophomore Jake Furtney is the primary pass catcher, while redshirt sophomore AJ Miller and Kansas State transfer Andrew Metzger are mostly utilized as blockers. OL: This offensive line has only allowed 13 sacks and is also a big reason for the Bobcats effectiveness in the run game. LT - Jarian Shelby (6’4 295) (R. Sr.) LG - Tigana Cisse (6’3 314) (Gr.) C - Bryce Parson (6’3 308) (R. So.) RG - Seth Anstead (6’3 310) (R. So.) RT - Trumain Lawson (6’5 295) (R. Fr.) - Transfer from Long Island DL: Redshirt freshman Ike Ackerman and Michigan State transfer Tyler Gillison are the starters at edge. They have combined for 5.5 sacks. Redshirt freshman Ty Neubert and former Youngstown State transfer Nehemiah Dukes start on the interior. LB: Redshirt seniors Michael Molnar and Jack Fries handle the majority of snaps at linebacker. Both are likely in line for all-conference seasons as they’ve collected 138 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. DB: Incarnate Word transfer Barry Dillon and redshirt junior Kendall Bannister are the starting cornerbacks. Redshirt sophomore JT Haskins starts at nickleback, with former Zip Ronald Jackson rotating in. Elon transfer Darren James-Hamilton and redshirt junior DJ Walker are the starting safeties. ST: Kent State transfer Will Hryszko is 10 of 13 on fields goals and perfect on 26 extra point attempts. Magnus Haines is averaging nearly 44 yards per punt, with a long of 53 yards. Safety James-Hamilton is also the primary kick returner and has already taken two back for touchdowns. Keys on Offense: Run the ball as much as possible. The best path to success is keeping the ball on the ground, grinding out the clock, and limiting possessions for this physical Ohio offense. Keys on Defense: The phrase "Bend, But Don't Break" truly applies to this game. The Bobcats will likely look to run the ball early and often. Akron will need to commit an extra defender to the box to slow down Ohio's offense. It goes without saying, but the Zips' secondary cannot afford to have another performance like it did last week. Final Thoughts: Ohio is yet again one of the better teams in the MAC, and the odds are definitely in their favor. However, Akron has nothing left to play for but pride at this point, and sometimes the lack of pressure can allow a team to play more freely. I’m not calling for a Zips win, but I am interested to see how this program responds given the way this season has unfolded.

Everbody's good before the season starts. Let's play a few games before comparing them to the Testa-Luburgh teams, Bud. It will be quite the leap if they contend. I think they're picked for 11th.

Per Evan Miya, Josiah Harris is Louisiana's #1 rated player. His performance rating is .90, good for 1297th in the country. Akron has 6 players rated higher. Evan Mahaffey - 5.63 BPR - 91st Kamrin Oriol - 2.71 BPR - 570th Tahj Staveskie - 2.36 BPR - 662nd Ty Pence - 1.63 BPR - 941st Buddy Hammer Jr. - 1.03 BPR - 1232nd Marvin Musiimi-Kamali - .98 BPR - 1259th If Akron plays anywhere near its potential tonight, this game shouldn't be close.

Three Big East teams in the top six in both polls, including number one. Damn impressive.

https://collegesoccernews.com/college-soccer-news-mens-soccer-week-11-top-25-poll-akron-jumps-into-the-top-5/ #5, and we are the featured team this week. Also, we tied #6 Creighton, beat #s 15, 16, and 24 (Cornell, Wake Forest, and Xavier, respectively) and were up 1-0 on #14 West Virginia before the game was cancelled. Our only loss is to #1 Georgetown, albeit at home, who has only lost at Maryland (#7) and tied UNC (#18) the first game of the season. If only we hadn't tied a few to low teams...

JD was forced out due the repercussions from the over use of pain killers by the players. Oxycontin was a new drug and worked amazing. Unlike Oxycodone which gives immediate relief but makes you drowsy, Oxycontin was a slow release formula which made it very addicting. It just made you feel good. Bowden had lost control of the team by the time of his firing. Lots of discipline issues. Some reported, many more not.

I agree. I was merely updating the accuracy of the original statement. Both JD and Bowden were more than competent enough to maintain their positions longer than they did. We had little success before and none since.

JD won a MAC Championship and is the only coach to do it. I'll take that over a bowl game.

According to Google: Under the NCAA's Division I 5-in-5 age-based eligibility model, a player cannot receive a medical redshirt or medical hardship waiver to keep an extra year of eligibility due to an injury. [1, 2, 3] Key Rules 5 Seasons in 5 Years: Division I student-athletes are granted five years of eligibility to play up to five seasons. Elimination of Redshirts and Waivers: Traditional redshirts, medical redshirts, and season-of-competition/hardship waivers have been eliminated for Division I. The exceptions are military service, religious missions, and maternity leave. Medical injuries no longer qualify. Then again, the NCAA does do whatever they want.... Again... Straight from Google.... (I wonder if the season would have been different with Reese) Because of these legacy medical waivers and legal loopholes, rosters this season feature an unprecedented core of "super-seniors". For instance, prominent FBS programs like Virginia, Ohio State, Washington, and Colorado are currently starting documented 6th, 7th, and even 8th-year players like Noah Josey, Jake Renfro, and Geirean Hatchett.

I think the schedule makers threw us a bone here. During the Groce era we usually struggled on the road OOC and that applied to the SB as well. First year we got beat up by a historic JMU team, then we lost a close game to Arkansas St we probably would've won if it wasn't a brand-new core's first game, and then last way we laid an egg against a similar level Troy team. This year feels very similar to that 24-25 year except Louisiana is in the 200 range in Kenpom. It's all a grain of salt but I expect them to find a way to win today. Would be some huge momentum needed in a thin OOC schedule that we don't have many statement makers to make before we face Miami early into the new year.

So only being on the board for two years, is the reason as simple as the fatigue and "wanting their guy"? Why get rid of some of these other coaches? Did they choose to leave and go on to other jobs? Brookhart is here now right, isn't he one of the assistants? I would assume he would be the logical interim IF moorehead were canned before the season ended which I'm guessing isn't going to happen... I wonder if Brookhart would try to come back as the head coach if he had success before? Here is how I see it playing out and the major dilemma, if they keep moorehead, the turnover is going to be tremendous... I am guessing that they are going to lose WAY MORE players than they have in the past into the portal. I predict the numbers are going to be huge with players leaving, they obviously don't have money to pay for top talented players to come in or really any level of talented players to come in so the level of talent is probably going to drop drastically. What is moorehead going to sell to future incoming recruits with one year left on his contract - recruits knowing that he is leaving; and the fact that he most likely just won a game or maybe two if they are lucky? If they replace him before the season with this Brookhart who has experience and the current roster likes him, maybe he can convince some of the players to stay?

Basically the easiest way I was always told to remember was this: there are roughly 1 million kids that play 11 on 11 tackle football in high school in the US. Of that 1 million approximately 1% of that will go on to play Division 1 football. Of the 1 % that play Division 1 football, only 1 % of that will go on to play in the NFL. only about 1 % of all players that play in the NFL, actually make it into the NFL.

I don't follow the women's program all that closely, as there hasn't been a whole lot to get excited about over the years. That said, everything I've heard from Gensler on social media and in the few interviews I've seen suggests he's a genuinely good guy who really embraces the university's sense of camaraderie and the idea of being one team. I believe he was also the only coach who donated to the AK Rowdies on Day of Giving. He just seems like the kind of person who's easy to root for, and you genuinely want to see succeed.

My only thought on this game is that your ongoing enthusiasm is heroic, especially given the state of the program.

Bowden didn't just take us to a bowl game, Brookhart did that. Bowden won us a bowl game...the only D-1A coach to do that for us.

Nice article from the Beacon/Ohio.com- https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2026/11/02/akron-zips-womens-basketball-season-preview-mac/92548977007/

Arkansas State might be the play if Toledo's exhibition vs NIU was any legitimate indication. New conference, same story for NIU. The Horizon League's new boat anchor is off to a hot start. (The anchor is NIU; the Flying Wasp is the Horizon League)

Genuine question - is it guarded, or do we just not have anyone covering that team that tries hard enough to get this information? The best coverage of Zips Athletics seems to come from regular fans/bloggers IMO, and they likely don't have the access to find out. Most local media only come around for the MAC and NCAA Tournaments.

Akron stays at #4 in top drawer soccer https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-national-rankings/men

In today's college football, he'd have three bowl games, too.

No longer the MAC but NIU lost to grambling in the 3am game of the 24hr opening day event

Mike Locksley out at Maryland, he is owed ~$10M Dave Doeren out at NC State, he is owed ~$10M Dave Aranda out at Baylor, he is owed ~$12M Mike Norvell out at FSU, he is owed ~$50M Phil Longo out at Sam Houston State, he is owed ~$2.8M ??? out at ???, he is owed ~$0.5M

How bad does ULM have to be for CMU to be favored by 3.5 points on the road? 😂

Ummmmm.....

Knowing this board I can say with 100 percent certainty that nobody on this board would ever complain about a coach that had a 7-5 record.

These road games in the SunBelt challenge haven't treated Akron well. It should be a good early season test.

Bowden went 4-8 in his final Akron season. That’s the same year he beat Northwestern. Academics no longer factor into D1 football. Every year the Zips lose 1/2 the team…over 40 players…to the portal. Every team does. Players today majoring in NIL money and maintaining eligibility outnumber the ones taking advantage of their free education 4:1. Education is parsley on the D1 plate. Why does no one mention Lee Owens when discussing the most successful Zips HC’s (post Dennison). The guy was 7-5 when he got fired. 5-3 in the MAC. Greats like Dwight Smith, Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Cherry, Arthur, Payne …they were all his recruits. And he convinced them to play at The Rubber Bowl, with no Stiles Center. His final year at Ashland he went 10-2. In the tallest midget competition, Lee Owen’s dwarfs the field.

I'm not interested in talking about the futility of the program. There's enough of that around here. For the record, Dennison wasn't forced to leave the school. Dennison was promoted to AD where he showed zero ability to chart a course for the future. Had the University not made this Mickey Mouse decision and brought in an ad that had a vision, we might be having different discussions today.

My time as a Zips student (and fan) only goes back to the last season of Brookhart, so I can only really spoke on Ianello, Bowden, Arth, and Moorhead. So, the obvious answer is Bowden for me. From where he the program was when he took over to where it was in 2015 and 2016, you couldn't ask for much more. There was really no reason to get rid of him.

I can’t think of anyone else worthy of a jersey ceremony, but there are 2 Zips teams that I remember fondly for different reasons and that history won’t be kind to. That very first Groce team was like the land of misfit toys. This forum struggled dealing with losing to teams you hadn’t in quite some time. But the likes of Ivey, Utomi, Duvivier, Sayles, Olojakpoke and Lucas Smith played with a ton of heart. The rebuild had to start somewhere and kudos to those guys for sticking around and giving max effort. And then the Covid team. We will never know for sure, but that could have been the team destined to win a NCAAT game. It was a complete team before the NIL/portal era really took hold. The fact that their resume is forever incomplete is such an injustice.

All of this old stuff and it's Akron that has the actual Big East connection now

Since Halloween is right around corner as well as basketball season (and it is Kent week), I thought it was a good time to resurrect this video.